San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-09-12
LAND THEORIES
BY San Antonio Follower of Henry
George.

BY San Antonio Follower of Henry
George.
Editor LIGHT:
l noticed in the Express OF the 10th
inst, a criticism Of the plan proposed by
the English Labor Congress for the ad-
justment OF the land question. The au-
thor Of that article acknowledges his
own Ignorance in the very outset and
shows that he has either never studied
the land theories Of Henry George, or
he is afflicted with mental obtuseness
which Ia truly pitisble, for any one
with three ideas above those Of a "dray
horse" who will read the theories of Mr..
George carefully, and who is not blind
ed by self interest, or unreasonably
prejudiced by long established customs
cannot fail to understand those theories
as showing the only just, equitable and
practicable way Of settling, soon and
forever, the land question. Mr.. George
holds as the prominent idea in his theory
that the land OF any country, belongs Of
right to the whole people OF that
country, and that the private owner
ship OF one acre, with transferable title,
by either individuals, corporations, or
otherwise, 10 as much an Injustice. and
violation Of natural and moral right,
as the ownership OF millions OF acres by
the wealthiest syndloates on earth.
Man, was the last Of Gods creations,
and before he was brought into exits
tence, the Creator, had formed the
world with all the elements necessary
to sustain that existence, VIZ: air, water,
and land with its various products, and
He bestowed II upon man as a free gift
for a habitation and home, in such
quantity as would be necessary for his
support, but not to the exclusion Of any
OF his fellow creatures, each one OF
whom is entitled to the same rights and
privileges in its use with every other OF
the human race. Man is a land animal,
deriving his subsistence mainly from the
products OF the land. Therefore,
when by reason OF private owner
ship he is denied the right to use
the land to pruduce the neoessarles OF
life, he is virtually denied the right to
live In the world where he was placed
by his Creator, without his own know
ledge or consent, unless forsooth; he
pays some more favored Individual for
the privilege OF using part OF what
God made for all.
This broad principle OF natural and
moral right, to the use OF the land In
such quantity only, as is absolutely neo-
essary for subsistence, and for the occu-
pancy Of which every man should pay
into the public treasury tax levied for
the expenses Of government, according
to the value of the land so occupied, is
the foundation stone upon which theory
Of Mr.. George rests, and Is being built
upon by many OF the deepest thinkers
and best men Of the nineteenth century?
Since the author Of the article In the Ex-
press admits that he does not under
| stand the theory Of Mr.. George, would
advise him to exchange papers with Mr..
George and read carefully 1.-THE Stand
ard, and also the Land Question, Prop
erty in Land, Progress and Poverty, and
Sooisl Problems, all by Henry George,
and the writings Of such gentlemen, as
Herbert Spencer, Il. l.. McCready, l.. r.
Post, A. j. Steers, W. L. Croasdale,
John Jones, A. e. Thomas, j. w. Sulli-
van, Lewis Freeland, and the Reverends
Father Huntington, Hugh o. PeDtecost,
and last, but by no means least, the Rev.
DR.. Edward McGlynn. II, after giving
the writings above referred to, careful
reading, that writer In the Express does
not understand the theories advanced
by Mr.. George, to be the most equitable,
just, reasonable and practicable means
OF settling the land question and eradi-
eating many Of the evils which have
grown out Of the present system, he
would then deserve the plying sympa-
thy Of thinking people who are capable
] OF understanding. l., t, PULLIAM.